Re: 1/4 acre lawn: ride on mower options?

I don't do dethatching, aerating, etc...
I mow my lawn when it needs it, which is weekly from May through July, then the heat kicks in, 'n it rains less often, so every other week til late September,...

I also see No need to have a golf course lookin' lawn,...
In my world, anything that's green after I mow is good enough to call a Lawn,....

Re: 1/4 acre lawn: ride on mower options?

Not in my opinion. Unless you are talking the much higher end machines and implements (i.e. the CUT - compact utility tractors...not the riding mowers at HD and Lowes in this case), the job you will get with the rental equipment is much better.

Your standard riding lawn mower will not do any of those functions very well and if you get into the higher end machines, they are over 10K (well over) and the implements are in the thousands of dollars as well.

Re: 1/4 acre lawn: ride on mower options?

So long as you are physically able to use a push mower, I don't think a lawn tractor is worth it for a yard that size. As mentioned, the attachments and accessories are expensive and don't always perform as well as a dedicated machine from a rental and depending on the make, can be an unholy pain to install. Also, since you say it is "mostly open" you will still need the push mower for parts you can't get at with the tractor.

Re: 1/4 acre lawn: ride on mower options?

I've mowed mine twice now and the last time last year was around Dec 10 (mostly to mulch the leaves).

I have not dethatched since I put a mulching blade on the Snapper. The yard has never been aerated in the 22 years I have lived here . I live on a gold course and the yard matches the surroundings.

I do have a rider for about half the yard you have. At the time I bought it I just did not have the energy to climb ladders all day and mow the grass with a push mower when I got home. The Snapper was the largest mower that would fit in the garage and still allow two cars to fit.

Buy a rider if you want. I suspect you will not be pleased with the results of the attachments. I think the neighbors are crazy to pay 40-50 $ a week to get theirs mowed so I really don't care that they think I'm crazy for owning a rider that paid for itself the first 3 years that I owned it.